


Hang The DJ

by lostariels



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Black Mirror AU, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Online Dating, Soulmates, Virtual Reality, some reigncorp and karamel bc of reasons, supercorp endgame tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 23:24:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13258794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostariels/pseuds/lostariels
Summary: Kara and Lena are two of many people in a walled-off System that are instructed by a digital companion, Cat, into romantic relationships with others. Cat dictates how long partners can spend together, collects their data, and helps them find their "ultimate compatible other". Kara and Lena are only arranged for a short period of time, before they are paired off with others. After a few brief encounters, Kara and Lena realise they have fallen in love, and try to rebel against Cat and the System.Based on the Black Mirror episode.





	Hang The DJ

**Author's Note:**

> so I was watching black mirror and I had to. if you haven't watched it, this might be a little confusing for you, and you should watch the episode anyway

            Kara walked down the road, nervously running her hands over the skirt of her dress as she looked around. Realising she had no idea where to go, she raised the small white disk in her hand, and hesitated before speaking. “Cat, where do I go?”

 

            The disk replied in the robotic voice of a woman, believed to be the voice of the creator of CatCo’s dating system _. “Proceed to the Fortress.”_

 

            “Right,” Kara muttered to herself, looking at the large building brightly lit up with a stream of people walking in alone, and couples walking back out, “the Fortress.”

 

            She picked up her pace, breathing evenly to try and stem the nervousness that was tying her stomach into knots. The building grew bigger as she approached, and she walked inside to the plain, modern looking building. It was like a mall, with shops and activities, and escalators connecting each level, and Kara stepped onto one of them as she made her way upstairs. It wasn’t long before she found herself seated at a table for two in one of the restaurants, a glass of water sitting before her as she balled her hands into fists on the table top. Kara couldn’t help but wonder what her date was going to look like, and what they’d _be_ like. The whole anonymous part of the thing made her more nervous than she should’ve been, and she didn’t see the dark haired woman walk in.

 

            Lena cast her eyes around the room as she walked in, and raised the white disk as she spoke, “Cat, what do they look like?” She looked down at the disk as it showed the image of a blond haired girl with glasses, and Lena looked up to see the person in question sitting a few feet away at a table.

 

            Looking up as a dark haired woman in a tight red dress approached, Kara jumped to her feet, sending a fork clattering to the floor in her clumsy hastiness. “Hi! Oh, um, sorry,” she apologised, scrambling on the floor as she picked up the fork, before straightening up, with the fork clutched in her hand, “fork.”

 

            “Lena,” the other woman said with a slight smile curling her lips.

 

            “Oh, no, my name’s not fork, it’s, uh, it’s Kara,” Kara replied, feeling her cheeks turn pink as she blushed with embarrassment.

 

            “I figured, I just thought I should introduce myself,” Lena said, her smile growing as she arched an eyebrow at Kara in amusement, “should we sit?”

 

            Taking a step towards her, Kara went to help her into her seat, but Lena brushed past her and sat down in the seat Kara had been occupying, leaving Kara awkwardly stood there. “Oh, that’s where I- never mind,” she said, before quickly sitting down in her new seat, “sorry, I’m just really nervous. This is actually my first time in the System.” She gave Lena a sheepish look.

 

            Laughing, Lena smiled at her, “mine too. I’m shitting myself, if we’re being honest.”

 

            “Yeah, I thought you looked scared. You’re a little pale,” Kara said, feeling a bit more relaxed at the fact that it wasn’t just her first time, and wondering if perhaps that should’ve made her feel more nervous, because now _neither_ of them knew what they were doing.

 

            “Well, I’ve never been one for a tan,” Lena shrugged, “I thought I was hiding my nerves quite well though.”

 

            “Not at all,” Kara laughed, “you’re shaking with fear.”

 

            “Or perhaps I’m quaking with _revulsion_ ,” Lena offered, smirking as she leant forward slightly to rest her elbows on the table.

 

            Biting back a smile, Kara raised her eyebrows, “well at least you’ve stopped … shitting.” Lena wrinkled her nose as she laughed, a dimple appearing in one cheek, and Kara ducked her head down, feeling herself blush again. “Should we, uh, order some food? Now that the pleasantries are out of the way.”

 

            Lena softly laughed, leaning back slightly, “sure. Do you know how we order?”

 

            Picking up her white disk, Kara went to ask, when it lit up and the robotic voice spoke. _“Menu choices already established.”_

 

            They both looked at each other, and Kara was struck by how green Lena’s eyes were, finding that she liked the colour very much. Lena was similarly admiring the deep blue of Kara’s eyes, feeling a sense of familiarity and comfort as she smiled slightly. Both shrugging, they looked up as a waiter approached with two plates. “Here we are madam,” he said, setting one down in front of Kara, “and for you.”

 

            Looking down at her own, Kara took in the Chinese food, smiling as she looked at the fried rice. Picking up her fork, she glanced at Lena’s plate of pasta, watching as the other girl twirled some on her fork and took a bite. Her eyebrows rose slightly in surprise, “this is good. I’ve never been much of a pasta girl … I think.”

 

            “I _love_ fried rice,” Kara said, scooping up a forkful and hesitating slightly, “do you want to try some?”

 

            Lena hesitated, glancing around as she frowned slightly, “are we allowed to do that?” Kara shrugged when Lena looked back at her, her eyes crinkling slightly at the corners, and Lena immediately smiled, “fuck it.”

 

            Laughing, Kara tilted her head to the side, holding her fork out towards Lena and watching as red lips closed around the fork, “yeah, fuck it.”

 

            “Oh, that’s _good_ ,” Lena quietly exclaimed, while Kara glanced past her at a bouncer dressed in a black suit, staring intensely at her, and Kara couldn’t help but feel like she’d done something wrong. Hesitantly smiling, Kara quickly took a bite of her food, and murmuring in agreement as she swallowed her mouthful. “So,” Lena said, “we’re both first timers. Should we check our expiry date?”

 

            Quickly setting her fork down, Kara nodded in agreement, “yeah, sure.”

 

            They both picked up their tablets, and Kara glanced down at her disk in confusion, listening as Lena talked her through the steps. When they were both on the right thing, they looked at each other and smiled. “Okay, on three,” Lena told her, “one, two, three.” They both tapped to reveal at the same time, and Kara’s eyes widened slightly.

 

            “Twelve hours,” she said, not sounding overly excited about the short amount of time, but a but unsure why, considering the fact that it was supposed to be narrowing down to finding _the one_ for her.

 

            “Hm, okay,” Lena hummed, “it’s a bit short.”

 

            “Yeah, it is, isn’t it?” Kara agreed, frowning slightly as she looked down at the number on the screen, blinking in surprise as a second ticked off it, “oh … and it’s counting down. I didn’t realise it was a timer. That’s quite … sad.”

 

            Lena shrugged, setting her tablet down and smiling at Kara, “well maybe we should eat quickly then.”

 

            “Maybe we should,” Kara said, smiling back at her as she set her disk down and shovelled in a giant mouthful of rice, “come on, hurry up.” Lena laughed, quickly scooping up a large forkful of pasta, and shoving it in her mouth while Kara joined in on her laughter.

 

            They finished eating quickly, and were soon standing outside the Fortress, wearing their coats and standing side by side. As they waited, a small car that resembled a golf buggy pulled up and stopped in front of them. “I guess this is us,” Kara said, gesturing for Lena to go ahead, “after you, miss.”

 

            Climbing into the cart, Lena sat back in the seat, and Kara climbed in beside her, smiling, even as her her stomach fluttered slightly. She was nervous again, sitting so close to Lena, and she could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she sat beside her. “So this takes us to the place?” Lena asked as the car started driving.

 

            “I guess so,” Kara said, nodding as she looked around, watching as they drove down a road lined with lights, the sky growing darker overhead as they left the mall behind them.

 

            Both of them finding themselves a little tongue tied in the close confines of the car, they watched the little GPS set into the dashboard, as the car drove itself to the destination. The only sound was the rustling of the trees and the sound of a nearby lake lapping as the water ebbed and flowed on the banks of it. It was peaceful, and somehow the silence didn’t feel awkward as they rode along.

 

            They passed by a huge stone wall on their way to their destination, and Kara let out a small gasp as she leant past Lena, trying to peer at the top of it, but finding herself unable to see all the way up. “It’s massive.” Somehow, it didn’t feel confining though, and Kara settled back into her seat, remaining silent for the rest of the drive.

 

            Eventually the car stopped outside a small house, all modern looking and wooden from the outside, and Kara smiled at Lena. “Looks like we’re here.”

 

            They both climbed out of the car, and walked over to the door, listening to the whirring of the car as it drove itself away. A handprint scanner stood beside the door, and Kara gestured towards it, “do you want to open it?”

 

            Lena hesitated slightly, before shrugging, “okay.”

 

            As she reached out, Kara placed her hand against the scanner, which lit up at the touch, and started to scan her hand. Smiling playfully, Kara arched an eyebrow, “too slow.”

 

            Laughing in surprise, Lena raised her eyebrows, “you’re a little shit.” The sound of the door opening caught their attention, and Lena took a step back to crane her head and look inside, before she looked at Kara with wide eyes, “oh fuck, they’ve given us a dump.”

 

            “You’re kidding,” Kara whined, feeling the excitement dissipate slightly at the thought, and Lena let out a laugh at the crestfallen look on her face.

 

            “Yeah, I am,” she said, gesturing for Kara to go in ahead of her, “after you, miss.”

 

            Excitedly walking inside, Kara let out a small gasp of delight as the fire automatically burst into flame, and the lamps softly illuminated the interior of the small space. It was furnished in shades of light wood, and so much blue everywhere, that when Lena stepped inside, she would’ve believed that they’d taken into consideration the colour of Kara’s eyes, and furnished the room to give the place the same comforting feeling she felt when she looked into them.

 

            “It’s nice,” Kara said, walking further inside, “I love the colour green they’ve picked.” She looked at the sea foam green accents they’d used to offset the blue, and couldn’t help but think that it was _just_ a few shades lighter than the colour of Lena’s eyes. It felt calming, and all at once, the nervous feeling in her stomach seemed to disappear. “I like that lamp.”

 

            Laughing, Lena trailed after her, “it’s _incredible_.”

 

            “Fuck off,” Kara snorted, walking up the steps and finding a bedroom behind the wall of the main area of the house. A large bed dominated it, with blue covers and light wooden furniture, and Kara cleared her throat, feeling the nervousness come back tenfold. “Right … well, that’s the bed. Oh look, and an ensuite.”

 

            She walked over to the sliding door, which stood partially open, and poked her head inside, hearing Lena ask, “shower or bath?”

 

            “Both,” Kara replied, taking in the grey tiled walls and floor, and the bath and shower, clearly built for two people.

 

            “Oh … that’s good,” Lena replied, and Kara got the unmistakable feeling that this confident and charming woman she’d been paired with was _actually_ nervous.

 

            “Um, well I might just … use the bathroom for a, uh, a quick moment,” Kara nervously stammered, pointing inside.

 

            Smiling warmly, Lena nodded, “right, I’ll just be over here.”

 

            Nodding, Kara stepped inside the bathroom and slid the door shut, before hurrying over to the toilet and sitting down on the closed lid. Fishing the tablet out of her coat pocket, she held it cupped in both hands, and kept her voice low to make sure she wasn’t overheard. “Cat, what’re we meant to do?”

 

 _“Query too broad,”_ came the reply, _“please be more narrow.”_

 

            “You know … are we supposed to just … you know,” Kara asked, feeling her stomach twist and her a blush creep up her neck.

 

_“Define ‘you know’.”_

 

            Groaning, Kara threw her head back, before closing her eyes and slowly exhaling, “oh god.”

 

            Out in the living room, Lena was similarly questioning her own device as she paced back and forth, keeping her own voice down. “Cat, are we supposed to have sex with each other.”

 

            _“Participants are not required to take any specific action.”_

 

            “Yeah, but we can … right?” Lena asked, “if we want too? I mean, it’s only a short amount of time.”

 

            _“If that’s your decision.”_

 

            “It’s up to us?” Lena quietly asked, swearing when she heard the sound of the bathroom door slide open, “oh fuck.” Fumbling, she put the round tablet into her coat pocket, and turned as Kara walked down the steps from the bedroom and primly sat down on one of the sofas, giving Lena a warm smile.

 

            Leaning back in a way that Lena supposed was meant to come off as relaxing, Kara gave her a nervous smile, “I could just sleep here.”

 

            “Don’t be stupid, you’d throw your back out,” Lena told her.

 

Bouncing slightly on it, and then kicking her heels off, Kara laid down and made a noncommittal sound, “I mean, it’s definitely not _awful_.”

 

            Quietly laughing, Lena bit her lip as she tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrows slightly in amusement, “the bed’s big enough for the both of us.”

 

            “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right,” Kara agreed, quickly climbing to her feet and following after Lena.

 

            They both soon found themselves laying on top of the bed, fully dressed and staring up at the ceiling, side by side, but not touching. “It must’ve been shitty before CatCo created the system,” Lena quietly murmured.

 

            “Yeah, too many options,” Kara agreed, “they had to do it all themselves. Imagine having to work out who you wanted to be with.”

 

            “Mm, and deciding whether or not to break up with someone,” Lena said.

 

            “I guess we’re lucky we’ve got it all mapped out for us,” Kara said, turning to peek at Lena, taking in the pale skin, and the delicate arch of her neck. She couldn’t help but think about the countdown on her tablet. Twelve hours, and growing smaller since they’d tapped to reveal it.

 

            “Yeah, it’s so much simpler,” Lena agreed, “it’s pretty fucking weird though.”

 

            Kara laughed, and Lena smiled, finding that she enjoyed the sound more than she probably should’ve, “yeah, it’s pretty fucking weird.” Smile growing even wider, Lena peeked at Kara, taking in the position she laid in – on her back, with her right hand on her stomach, and her left arm resting beside her, just a few inches away from Lena’s right hand. A mirror image to Lena’s own position. Drawing in a small breath, Lena reached out, letting the back of her hand graze Kara’s, before she covered it with her own, and let her fingers wrap around it, giving Kara’s hand a gentle squeeze. Kara couldn’t stop herself from smiling as she returned the squeeze with a gentle one of her own, and even though Kara couldn’t see her – she was too busy looking up at the ceiling as she blushed slightly – Lena’s lips curled up into a small smile too.

 

            They fell asleep that way, hand in hand, and the next morning, they both freshened up in the bathroom before dressing in last night’s clothes. Ready to leave, they both walked outside, smiling shyly as they stood opposite each other. “Well, thanks for being my first,” Lena said, reaching out to fix the lapel of Kara’s coat.

 

            A beeping noise got their attention, and they both pulled their tablets out of their pockets, looking down at the screen of the disks, watching as the timer counted down the last few seconds of their time together. Kara looked up, giving Lena a warm smile as she pushed her glasses up her nose, “thank you. You were really nice, by the way.”

 

            “So were you,” Lena agreed, glancing down at the timer once more, before she smirked at Kara, “by the way, if we got to do this again, I would _totally_ sleep with you.”

 

            Kara turned bright red, even though she couldn’t stop herself from laughing as she shook her head, her stomach fluttering as she looked at the playful glint in Lena’s green eyes. “You _asshole_ ,” Kara laughed, reaching out to take her hand in her own, “I would totally sleep with you too.”

 

            “Well, I guess we fucked that up,” Lena laughed.

 

            The timer finished counting down and let out a small noise to let them know that their time together was up, and the door locked itself. Looking at each other, they both smiled, before turning around, still holding hands. Neither of them wanted to let go, but as they took a step in opposite directions, they had to, their fingers stretching to hold onto the warmth for just a moment longer. Walking over to their respective cars waiting to take both of them home, they both glanced back at each other once, before climbing in and letting the car drive them away with a gentle whirring sound.

 

\---

 

            Kara was jogging, feeling the burning sensation in her lungs, and the ache in her muscles as she ran up a flower dotted hill, breathing in the fresh air of the trees that covered the hillside. “I guess I just don’t see the point in dates that short,” Kara breathlessly said, “it was only twelve hours.

 

_“Even short encounters provide the System with valuable information to help us make your ultimate compatible match.”_

 

            “But we didn’t even _do_ anything! The System thinks I’m a prude,” Kara said, coming to a stop and gesturing wildly.

 

_“The system makes no moral judgements.”_

 

            “And besides, how do I know she _wasn’t_ the one for me?” Kara asked, thinking about those green eyes, and way Lena’s hand had felt in hers as they lay side by side in the dark room.

 

_“Your ultimate compatible other has not yet been selected.”_

 

            “I know, but-“

 

_“The System gains insight as each participant progresses through numerous relationships, and uses the data to eventually select your ultimate compatible other.”_

 

            Letting out a shout of frustration, Kara kept on jogging. “And you’re sure the System makes the best match?”

 

 _“The System selects your ultimate compatible other with ninety-nine point eight percent certainty, and will be made clear to you on your pairing day,”_ Cat replied.

 

            “So I have to go through loads of relationships to find them?” Kara asked.

 

_“That is correct.”_

 

            Letting out a snort of laughter, she shook her head, “great.” A moment later, her tablet made a dinging noise, and Kara looked down, realising that she already had a new match.

 

            Taking a break from her own jogging, Lena was having a similar conversation with her own tablet as she skipped rocks on the surface of the lake, standing amongst the reeds as she frowned. The rock skipped four times, before sinking, and Lena’s tablet went off. “What’s that?”

 

 _“A new relationship,”_ Cat replied.

 

            Sighing, Lena skipped another rock, watching it skim the surface four times, before that one sank as well. Deciding that she’d better get changed for her new date, she dusted off her palms and turned around, walking up the bank of the lake and setting off back to her place.

 

\---

 

            Lena was dressed in green this time, with her hair up to expose the gentle curve of her neck, and the prominent collarbones peeking out from the low front of her dress. Sitting alone in the booth of the restaurant, she watched as a tall brunette woman walked in, and perked up slightly, bringing her disk to her mouth. “Holy fuck, tell me that’s her.”

 

_“I cannot confirm identity until a personal introduction is made.”_

 

            Lowering the tablet, Lena watched as the woman glanced in her direction and walked towards her, stopping at the table and smiling at her, “hi.”

 

 _“Identity confirmed,”_ came the response from Lena’s tablet, which she tried to muffle.

 

            “Hi,” Lena said, eyeing the smartly dressed woman as she slipped into the booth.

 

            “I like your dress,” she said, and Lena smiled slightly.

 

            “I like yours too.”

 

            The woman held her hand out across the table, giving Lena a warm smile, “my name’s Sam.”

 

            “Lena.”

 

            They fell into easy conversation as their meals were brought over to them, and perhaps it was the charming softness of her quiet voice, or the warmth in her dark eyes, but Lena found herself enjoying her time with Sam, realising that after two dates now, with two very different people, that perhaps the System wasn’t all too bad. Maybe this time she’d have longer with the person she’d matched with. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she reached for her tablet, asking Sam if they could check their expiry date. She eagerly reached for her own white disk, and Lena counted them down, both of them tapping at the same time.

 

            “Oh, interesting,” Sam said, giving Lena a crooked smile, “nine months.”

 

            Smiling, Lena raised her glass, “well, cheers, I guess.” They clinked their drinks together, both of them eyeing each other over the rims of the wineglasses, and Lena couldn’t help but think about how interesting the next nine months were going to be.

 

\---

 

            At a different restaurant in the Fortress, Kara was sitting alone at a table, eating a salad and feeling mildly irritated at the fact that her new date was late. It wasn’t until a dark haired man showed up at her table, that she glanced up, taking in the scruffy beard he was attempting to grow, the plain blazer and jeans. “Hi, I’m Mon-El.”

 

            “Kara,” she said, giving him a tight smile as she adjusted her glasses, “I didn’t think you were going to show. I’ve been waiting a while.”

 

            He looked down at himself, “oh, right. I had to change.” Muffling a sound of surprise as he slid into the booth opposite her, Kara wondered what he could’ve been wearing before that was even _worse_. “You started without me,” Mon-El said, nodding towards her salad.

 

            “I was hungry,” Kara shrugged, giving him a slightly forced smile. Something about his careless attitude already made her feel a little bit put off, but she was willing to give it a go if it meant she’d find her ultimate compatible other.

 

            “Right, shall we check our expiry date?” Mon-El asked, raising his tablet and giving her a suggestive look.

 

            Reaching for hers, Kara gave him a smile, “oh, right, sure. On three.” They both tapped to reveal, and Kara was glad she wasn’t eating or drinking anything when it showed one year. “Oh, one year. Well, it might just be a mistake,” she said, giving Mon-El a wavering smile, “Cat, is it a mistake?”

 

_“It is not a mistake.”_

 

            “Fucking hell,” Kara cursed.

 

            “I mean, there has to be a reason for it, right?” Mon-El asked, glancing up as a waiter approached and put down a plate of battered fish and chips in front of him. Quietly picking up her glass of wine, Kara took a sip as she looked at the man across from her, who speared a chip on his force and raised it slightly as he smiled, “on the bright side, fish and chips.”

 

            Kara let out a forced laugh at his joke, setting her glass back down and reaching for her fork. Picking up a piece of lettuce, she couldn’t help but feel like the next year was going to test her patience, and wasn’t exactly going to be the best time ever.

 

\---

 

            After dinner, Lena was taken to her new location with Sam, comfortably riding along in the car while they quietly chatted. There was something a little less nerve wracking, having made this trip before now, and they were soon at the small house assigned to them for the next nine months. Slipping in ahead of her, Sam walked through the room, while Lena hesitantly walked in after her. “Hm, it’s pretty much the same as the last one I had,” she said, making her way towards the steps up to the bedroom.

 

            “How many-“

 

            “Relationships have I had?” Sam finished for her, smiling slightly, “seven, so far. I’m a bit of a longtimer.” Lena quietly nodded, following after her, and she turned around once she reached the bedroom, shrugging out of her coat. “I’m just going to quickly hop in the shower, if that’s okay with you.”

 

            Giving her a small smile, Lena nodded, “of course.” She watched Sam walk into the bathroom, unzipping the back of her dress and turning on the hot water. Walking down to the kitchen, she made herself busy looking around, until the sound of the shower cut off, and Sam stepped out of the bathroom, with a towel wrapped around her body.

 

            “So, listen, if you’re okay with it, what I’ve learnt so far is that it’s best to just have sex upfront. It’s kind of a good icebreaker, I’ve found,” Sam said.

 

            Blinking in surprise, Lena slowly nodded, “oh, yeah, right.”

 

            “You know, it’ll help us figure out if we’re compatible, and all of that,” Sam said, holding his tablet in his hand and tapping away at the little screen, “so I’m going to consent to everything right now, and when you’re comfortable with it, you can do the same.”

 

            Deciding to bite the bullet – she was attractive, so why not? – Lena grabbed her own tablet and made ticked the same consent boxes, before giving her a flirty smile. They fell into bed not long after that, and Lena had to admit, it was good sex. If this was how their compatibility was decided, _surely_ they made a good match, but if not, then at least the next nine months were _definitely_ going to be fun.

 

\---

 

            Kara had no such luck with her own partner, finding Mon-El irritating in almost everyway. The sex was boring, he was a messy person, and he always looked scruffy and had nothing in common with her, and perhaps worst of all, he snored. Whatever the System was gaining from this match, she hoped that it learnt _never_ to put her with someone like him again. Every night she laid awake, listening to the soft snores coming from beside her as she stared up at the dark ceiling, and every day she aimed to spend as much time out of the house as possible, jogging, playing squash, visiting the Fortress, taking walks through the hills. The days ticked by slowly though, and she couldn’t walk away because this was narrowing down her options until her ultimate compatible other was found. She wouldn’t deny that she didn’t think about Lena often though, especially when she was always surrounded by so much green. Not the right shade though. They didn’t see each other again though, not until the pairing day of two other people in the system; Alex and Maggie.

 

            She was walking alongside Mon-El, who once again was wearing his jeans and the only blazer he seemed to own, and they soon parted ways once they reached the open-air party. Gravitating towards the food, Kara spotted Lena talking to a tall woman, smiling as they talked. Picking at carrot sticks, Kara was left to her own thoughts, smiling when Alex and Maggie climbed onto the small stage, both of them looking happy as they held hands, the shorter girl flashing her dimples as she looked up at her match with a look of unbridled joy on her face. Kara wanted that for herself. Everyone clapped as the happy couple finished their speech about how great the System was, and Kara couldn’t stop herself from peering over at Lena, who was smiling at the other woman, sharing a caring look that made Kara feel a twist of jealousy.

 

            As the day wore on, the sky slowly darkened, and the party was lit by little lights that illuminated everyone mingling and mixing as they drank, enjoying the pairing day celebrations while dreaming of their own one. Picking up a potsticker off the table of food, Kara dipped it in sweet chilli sauce, before taking a bite. Mon-El made a sound of disapproval, and Kara looked up with a questioning look on her face. “Chilli sauce … thanks for that,” he grumbled, and Kara rolled her eyes, scooping up more of the sauce, knowing how much he hated the taste of spicy foods, shoving the whole thing into her mouth. At least Kara wouldn’t have to kiss him tonight.

 

            He walked away, and she quietly laughed to herself, jumping slightly when a warm hand squeezed her ribs slightly. Whirling around, she came face to face with Lena, and hastily chewed as she smiled at the other woman, struck by how effortlessly beautiful she was, after such a long time spent looking at the dishevelled appearance of her match.

 

            “Hi,” Lena said, turning to point in the direction Mon-El had gone, “was that your-“

 

            “Mon-El,” Kara mumbled as she tried to swallow her mouthful.

 

            “Oh, Mon-El,” Lena nodded, smiling while Kara choked, coughing as she tried to dislodge the lump of the potsticker, which had gotten stuck in her throat as she’d quickly tried to swallow it. “Are you okay?” Lena asked, a small crease forming between her eyebrows as she looked at Kara with concern, “are you seriously choking?”

 

            Coughing, Kara nodded, and Lena helped her curl forwards slightly, before she pounded on her back. With another cough, Kara spat the mouthful of Chinese food out, and straightened up, her cheeks flushed pink as she sucked in a grateful lungful of air, while Lena laughed at her. “Thanks,” Kara wheezed, while Lena covered her mouth with a hand to stop herself from smiling, “you look well.”

 

            “Thank you,” Lena laughed, “I’d return the compliment, but you just spat Chinese food _all_ over my shoes.”

 

            “I thought they were quite ugly,” Kara said, leaning in, “I’m doing you a favour.”

 

            “Ugly?” Lena gasped, clutching a hand to her chest in mock offense, “well now you’re just being mean.” They both dissolved into laughter, wrapped up in their own little bubble, until Kara looked up to see Lena’s match standing there with a hesitant smile on her face. “Oh, um, Sam, this is Kara. Kara, Sam,” Lena said, making introductions, before smiling at Sam, “Kara and I were together for a small bit.”

 

            Wrinkling her nose as she smiled, Kara held her thumb and forefinger a tiny bit apart, “just a tiny bit.”

 

            “Yeah, right, uh, before we-“ Lena said, gesturing between herself and Sam.

 

            “It’s nice to meet you,” Sam earnestly replied, holding a hand out to Kara, who shook it as she gave the other woman a warm smile.

 

            “Likewise. You two look like you make a, uh, a great couple,” Kara said, adjusting her glasses slightly when she let go of Sam’s hand.

 

            The three of them stood there, and Kara didn’t know what else to say, but she knew she wanted to say something more. As she opened her mouth, a cheer went up through the crowd of guests as everyone clapped, and they looked over to watch as Alex and Maggie started to leave the party, off to live their life together as a perfect match, and Kara turned to look back at Lena, who gave her a slight smile. “I should …” she trailed off, gesturing towards the crowd of people leaving, while Sam pressed a hand against her lower back.

 

            “Right,” Kara nodded, giving her a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She waved goodbye as she watched Lena slip into the crowd, and cast her eyes around for Mon-El, who appeared a few moments later, and they fell into step beside each other, leaving a small gap between themselves as they miserably left the party. Kara didn’t see Lena pause and turn back, casting a longing look at the blonde haired girl with the sad look on her face, until Sam slipped her hand into hers and pulled her along, falling into conversation, in complete oblivion to Lena’s inner turmoil.

 

            That night, Lena lay on her back, wide awake and glancing up at the ceiling as she thought about Kara. Those blue eyes had hypnotised her from the moment she’d first looked into them, and even though they’d only had twelve hours together, seeing Kara again had brought forth a wave of confusion, and an overwhelming urge to see her again, if only to look into her eyes and see the spark of warmth and playfulness in them. Turning her head to the side, Lena took in the resting form of Sam – on her back, with her left hand on her stomach, and the right arm stretched out alongside her. She was beautiful, and kind, and her brown eyes made Lena feel safe, but there was something missing there. Reaching out, Lena slipped her hand into Sam’s, giving it a gentle squeeze. She didn’t get a squeeze back. Instead, Sam turned to look at her, rolling over and brushing Lena’s dark hair out of her face as she leant down to eagerly kiss her.

 

\---

 

            The months dragged on, and every day it seemed to wear Kara and Lena down just a little bit more. Kara barely spoke to Mon-El, which wasn’t anything new, but she still had what felt like forever left with him, while Lena found herself pulling away from Sam. It wasn’t anything she said, or anything she did, but Lena found herself getting irritated by the small things, knowing that she was being irrational for getting annoyed at her, when Sam had never been less that perfectly charming. Slowly the months dwindled down to weeks, and the walls that enclosed the place started to feel like a prison, keeping them both locked inside the compound with people who weren’t their ultimate matches.

 

            Eventually, the last day of Lena and Sam’s relationship arrived, and there was a small sense of relief, even though Lena couldn’t find a reason to say she disliked Sam, even after nine months together. There was a feeling of complacency with her, like they had gotten bored and neither of them could be bothered to break up with each other – not that they could, even if they wanted to – but the spark that had been there at the beginning had dulled, and Lena knew that it was largely her fault. Still, as the last few seconds ticked down, she couldn’t help but feel a small surge of warmth for the other woman, if only for the companionship she’d offered her over the last nine months.

 

            “Well, I guess this is it,” Sam said, giving Lena a soft smile, “it’s a shame it has to end.”

 

            “But it _does_ have to end,” Lena gently sighed, giving Sam a small smile in return.

 

            “Hey, come here,” Sam said, holding her arms open, and Lena indulged her in a quick hug, giving her a gentle squeeze, and feeling the soft press of Sam’s warm lips on her cheek, before they both pulled back. The tablet counted down to zero, and made a beeping noise, and they both looked at each other.

 

            Clearing her throat slightly, Lena gave her another brief smile, “well, goodbye then.” She walked towards her waiting car, leaving Sam lingering there a moment longer, before she walked to her own. Finding herself relieved at being alone once more, Lena relaxed as the car drove her to her own place – hers until her next match – and the place felt startlingly empty after so long living with someone else. It was a welcome silence though, and Lena took comfort in the day to day activities that she’d done while with Sam, without the pressure of going home to someone afterwards.

 

            It wasn’t long before she had a new partner though, finding herself in a booth at a restaurant as she waited to meet her new match. This time it was a charming Englishman, with dark brooding eyes and a confident attitude that would’ve been off putting if he wasn’t so attractive. His name was Jack, and they had thirty-six hours together. After that came a tanned woman called Veronica, with a devilish smile and a sharp wit to match Lena’s, and they had thirty-six hours too. Over and over again, Lena was paired with short flings, and she couldn’t help but feel like the System was trying to gather as much information as possible in such a short amount of time. The only person who came close to making Lena feel the same that she felt when she looked at Kara was a blonde haired and blue eyed woman called Gayle, but even then, the blonde was too bleached, and the blue the wrong shade, and the personality was all wrong the second she sat down across from Lena. Over and over again, she’d lay there at night, and each time she reached out to slip her hand into theirs, they never squeezed back.

 

            Eventually, she got a new match, on the same day that Kara’s year long relationship with Mon-El ended. It had been a torturously slow wait for it to be over, and Kara almost couldn’t stand the tension of the last few moments as the tablet counted down while she fidgeted. They stood a few metres apart, neither of them looking at each other or speaking, and both of them waiting to leave. Eventually the timer hit zero, and Kara exhaled slowly, turning to face Mon-El. “I just want to say-“

 

            “Bye Kara,” he said, before stalking off towards his waiting car. With a feeling of relief that she didn’t have to actually say goodbye to him, she walked over to her own, and was whisked away to her own place. Needing some fresh air after feeling so cooped up inside the tiny house with Mon-El, she donned her jogging clothes, and made for the hills where she usually hiked.

 

            Sitting amongst a field of violet flowers, Kara picked at them, feeling irritated as she scowled. “Well I know what it’s like to co-habit with someone I _despise_. Is that useful for the System?”

 

_“Everything happens for a reason.”_

            Scoffing, Kara tossed a little flower aside, groaning as her tablet dinged to tell her she had a new match. “That’s sooner than I expected.”

 

            Soon enough, she found herself wearing a tight dress, sitting in the booth at a restaurant as she waited for her match, and hoped that it was someone very drastically different to Mon-El. If she had to put up with someone even remotely similar to him, she was going to snap. Much to her surprise, she looked up to see Lena hesitate nearby, a wide smile spreading across her face as she tilted her head to the side, taking in the appearance of Kara as if she couldn’t believe she was there.

 

            “Hey you,” Lena said, crossing the last few steps over to the table, while Kara scrambled to her feet – without knocking a fork to the floor this time – smiling brightly as Lena approached.

 

            “Hi!” Kara exclaimed, holding her arms open for a hug. Lena stepped into the embrace willingly, and Kara gently squeezed her as she rubbed her back for a moment, “is this right?”

 

            Pulling back, Lena let out a quick laugh as they both seated themselves as the table, “I know! I didn’t think the System was going to pair us together again.”

 

            “Me neither,” Kara said, unable to keep the smile off her face as she stared into those searching green eyes, “I hope it’s okay though. I mean, I hope I’m not a disappointment.”

 

            Raising her tablet, Lena smiled at Kara as she spoke, “Cat, are we sat at the right table?”

 

_“Yes, that is correct.”_

            Smile growing even brighter, Kara seemed to relax in her seat, and she reached for her own tablet, assuming that they would check how long their match would last for this time. Lena’s warm hand gently touched her arm, stopping Kara from raising the white disk any further, and Kara gave her a questioning look, taking in the hesitation written all over Lena’s face, and the way she bit her lip. “Wait, um … can we not check the expiry date? I’ve, uh, well, the System’s been bouncing me around to different people, for constant short flings, and I’m just sick of knowing that they’re meaningless hook-ups, you know? It just … it makes me feel really detached, like I’m having some out of body experience, while I watch myself fuck every person I get matched with.”

 

            “Long-term was just as bad,” Kara groaned, covering her face with her hand at the thought of Mon-El, “it was like I was a prisoner, just watching the time slowly tick by. I thought I was going to be trapped with him _forever.”_

 

            “Oh god, yeah, I’ve been there,” Lena said, grimacing slightly, “and the worst part was that she was really nice. She was _so_ sweet, but there was just … nothing. I was bored.”

 

            Kara paused for a moment, before giving Lena a smile as she set her tablet down on the seat beside her, “okay, let’s not check then.”

 

            Smiling with relief, Lena held her hand out, “it’s a deal.”

 

            “A deal,” Kara agreed, reaching out to shake the extended hand, before they both laughed, and she clapped her hands together, “right, bring on the fried rice. I might let you steal another bite.”

 

            For the first time in a long time, both of them felt themselves enjoying being with someone, knowing that they could relax around each other and take the pressure off the match. It didn’t matter if they had twelve hours, or twelve years – at least for that time, they didn’t have to worry about the awkwardness of matching with a stranger. The only time there was a flicker of nervousness was when they made it to their destination later on that evening, driving past the towering wall as they followed a lit path down towards the little house they would be occupying until things ended. They stood in front of the bed, both of them wearing their dresses – having taken their coats off – and Kara felt her mouth go dry, and her stomach flutter in a way it never had with Mon-El.

 

            “So,” she said, clearing her throat slightly when the word came out a bit rusty.

 

            “So,” Lena said, smiling slightly while she arched an eyebrow invitingly, “might as well.”

 

            “I suppose we have to,” Kara said, letting out a nervous smile as she ducked her head down shyly. Of course she _wanted_ to, and had told Lena that last time, after their match had ended, and this time they weren’t sure how long they had exactly. “We don’t know how much time we’ve got.”

 

            Lena let out a quick laugh, her lips curling slightly, “yeah, it could be ten minutes. Can you even last that long?”

 

            “Fuck off,” Kara laughed, feeling a delicate flush in her cheeks as Lena joined in on her laughter.

 

            “Alright then,” Lena said, taking a step towards her, until they were only a few inches apart, and Lena’s shorter stature made her look even smaller at that distance. Looking down at her, Kara watched with fascination as Lena reached out and trailed her fingers along one of Kara’s collarbones, before drawing back and looking up at her with a smirk on her lips, “first, one of us should take off all their clothes.”

 

            Giving her a puzzled look, Kara let out a confused laugh, “why only one of us?”

 

            Shrugging, Lena’s eyes sparkled with amusement, “I don’t know, it’ll be funny.”

 

            Letting out a snort of laughter, Kara gave her a pointed look, “go on then, better start undressing.”

 

            “No. No, it was _my_ idea,” Lena smugly said, arching an eyebrow, almost as if she was challenging Kara and waiting to see if she’d take the bait.

 

            “Alright then,” Kara said, straightening up slightly as she gave Lena a confident look. She was always one to rise to the challenge, if only to prove a point, and she kicked off both of her heels, before reaching around to try and tug down her zipper.

 

            “I’m going to see you naked,” Lena softly sang in a mocking tone, smirking as Kara gave her an exasperated look, struggling with her zipper.

 

            Sighing, she shook her head as Lena sang it again, her smile growing wider as Kara squirmed slightly beneath her intense gaze, “you know this is completely embarrassing, right?”

 

            Finally managing to get the zipper down at the top, she started tugging from beneath, pulling it the rest of the way down, while Lena laughed, “then I’ll have to make up for it in a minute.”

 

            “Oh yea-“ Kara was cut off by Lena throwing herself at her and pressing a needy kiss to her lips, and Kara stumbled backwards as she was propelled into a wall. Kissing Lena back with just as much fervour, Kara pushed her back, both of them clumsily lurching towards the bed, while Lena’s hands finished unzipping Kara’s dress so that she could tug it off.

 

            Both of them would readily agree that they had the best sex of their lives that night, and the next morning, when Lena opened her eyes, she slipped her hand into Kara’s, and got a gentle squeeze back in return as eyelids fluttered open to reveal blue eyes. It was like everything fell into place, and they both lay in each other’s arms for the rest of the morning.

 

\---

 

            Days went by, and they were still matched together, and it was blissful heaven for both of them. Nothing had ever felt so right before, and they couldn’t help but wonder how they _weren’t_ each other’s ultimate compatible other. Lena was a little sceptical about the sorting of the System though, and one day, as they walked through the park, bundled up in their coats, they debated the reliability of CatCo’s dating system.

 

            “What if they’re just putting us together at random though?” Lena asked, her arm looped through Kara’s as they walked, “we could all just be going along with it because they’re telling us to, when it could be complete and utter bullshit.”

 

            “But it _does_ put people with the one,” Kara reasoned with her, “it’s got a ninety-nine point eight percent success rate.”

 

            Stopping at a pavilion overlooking the lake, Lena turned to raise a perfectly arched eyebrow at Kara, “but how do we know they’re perfect matches? And what about the point two percent? It must be shitty for them. They could just be wearing us down with constant random matches, until we just go with it when they tell us they’ve found our ultimate compatible other. By that point, you’re _so_ sick and tired of all of these random matches, that you just agree with it, because they’ve worn us down _that_ much. You just settle for it.”

 

            “You’re very cynical,” Kara laughed, “has anyone ever told you that? That’s one of the most depressing things I’ve ever heard.”

 

            Lena let out a quick laugh, leaning against the railing and watching a duck glide past, leaving ripples in its wake, “thank you.”

 

            Slowly drifting closer, Kara reached out to tug Lena closer by the front of her coat, “do you want to hear my theory?” At the nod and intrigued look on Lena’s face, she continued, lifting the little circular tablet in her hand. “So, assuming it’s not random, let’s say that this tracks all of our reactions. It builds up a profile of all of your dreams, and your weaknesses, and all of the crazy thoughts in here,” she smiled as she reached out to tap Lena’s temple, “everything that’s stuck in here. Now, if this profile is everything stuck in here … does it have thoughts?”

 

            Letting out a scoff of laughter, Lena’s eyes crinkled slightly at the corners, “okay, so now you’re going to say ‘what if that’s us and we’re stuck inside a simulation?’”

 

            “But how would we know?” Kara asked, spreading her hands in a helpless gesture as she gave Lena an expectant look. Narrowing her eyes slightly, Lena chewed on her bottom lip, before smiling and flicking Kara on the forehead. “Ow!”

 

            “That settles it then,” Lena laughed, walking away.

 

            “Maybe I was programmed to say ow!” Kara called after her, smiling as she followed at a slower pace, listening to the sound of Lena’s laughter. A part of Kara didn’t believe her other theory, because how could a simulation create something as beautiful as the sound of Lena’s laughter? It didn’t seem possible – she _had_ to be real. Rubbing the red spot on her forehead, Kara followed after Lena.

 

            The days slowly gave way to weeks, and every moment together was perfect, whether they were on the sofa, watching the flickering flames dance in the fireplace, with Lena’s head in Kara’s lap, or skipping stones on the lake as they took walks. They did everything together, and it was different to all of the other matches – it was _right_. A part of Kara couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in the back of her mind though, about how long they had together. It could abruptly end at any possible moment, and she wasn’t ready to let that go. She couldn’t check though, because she’d promised Lena she wouldn’t.

 

            Yet, as they sat in the bathtub, facing each other while Kara let Lena make shapes on her head out of the bubbles, laughing as they splashed each other and kissed, she couldn’t help but think about the tablet, which sat in the pocket of her abandoned sweatpants. When Lena climbed out of the bath, wrapping a towel around herself, Kara found her eyes drifting towards it, and the urge to look became even stronger. She didn’t though. Instead, she sank beneath the water, submerging herself for a few moments, while she chased away the thoughts.

 

            Again, that night, she could almost feel the temptation to look at the tablet as it lay on the nightstand beside her, while she lay in bed beside Lena. Sighing softly to herself, Kara picked it up and slipped on her glasses, before carefully climbing out of bed, casting a quick look at the soft expression on Lena’s peaceful face. Walking out into the kitchen, Kara raised the tablet and quietly spoke, keeping her voice down so she wouldn’t be overhead. “Cat, I’ve got to know.”

 

_“What would you like to know?”_

            “The expiry date for me and Lena. I need to know how long we have together,” Kara wearily said, sitting down on one of the stools. She got nothing but silence in response, and frowned slightly, “aren’t you going to talk me out of it?”

 

_“Would you like me to talk you out of it?”_

            “Yes,” Kara immediately responded, before sighing and running a hand through her messy curls, “no, I … don’t know.” After her response, the screen lit up with the tap to reveal logo, and Kara sighed, “no, I’m not going to do it. I said I wouldn’t. We made a deal.” Sitting there though, with the tablet showing the symbol to tap lit up on its screen, Kara couldn’t stop herself from doing it. She had to know. With another sigh, she shook her head, “fuck it.”

 

            With a tap, she watched as the tablet showed the number ‘five years’, and Kara couldn’t stop the smile of relief that spread across her face. They had loads of time still – this wasn’t just a short fling. Smiling as she cast a glance towards the dark bedroom where Lena lay sleeping, Kara jumped at the beeping sound as the tablet spoke, _“recalibrating.”_

 

            It chimed again, this time showing three years, and Kara frowned as she tapped at the screen, “Cat?”

 

_“Recalibrating.”_

 

            Kara frantically tapped at the screen again while it beeped, “Cat?” Climbing to her feet, she made her way towards the front door, before the beeping noise woke Lena up, raising the disk to her mouth, “Cat, what’s happening? It’s getting shorter.” She couldn’t keep the panic out of her voice as the door clicked open and she stepped outside, her bare feet hitting the cold wood of the front porch. The sky was lightening outside, and Kara stood a few steps outside, on the cold path leading up to the front door, feeling the chill of the early morning as she shivered in her pyjamas.

 

            The screen on the tablet now showed eighteen months.

 

_“One-sided observation has destabilised expiry date.”_

 

            “What?” Kara asked, her voice hitching as she asked, and her breathing speeding up as panic set in.

 

_“One-sided observation has destabilised expiry date. Recalibrating.”_

            The device beeped again as it started scanning for a new duration, and Kara felt her eyes burn as if she was about to cry. “What, because I looked on my own, it made the time shorter?”

 

_“That is correct.”_

            “Why?”

 

_“Everything happens for a reason.”_

 

            It chimed again, displaying two months, and Kara had to swallow a sound of alarm, “okay, well undo it then. Make it go back to how it was. Please.”

 

_“I cannot do that. Recalibrating.”_

 

            “But what if she looks at it?” Kara desperately asked, her voice trembling slightly, hoping that Lena could help fix it by looking at her own.

 

_“Once shortened, expiry date cannot be extended. Recalibrating.”_

 

            Three weeks. Kara felt her heart hammering in her chest as she watched the time dwindle away. “Why?” she exclaimed.

 

_“Everything happens for a reason.”_

            It started recalibrating again, and Kara breathlessly sobbed, “come on. Come on.” She watched the tablet light up, as a new date appeared. Five days. “When will it stop?” Kara asked, her voice cracking as she held the tablet in her cupped hands.

 

_“It will stabilise once recalibration had completed. Recalibrating.”_

 

            Stumbling forward a few steps onto the dew covered grass, Kara’s bottom lip trembled as she felt herself on the verge of tears, “no, stop it. Stop it. Just …” She didn’t finish because the device chimed again, leaving her with twenty hours lighting up the screen. Freezing, Kara watched as a second ticked away, leaving her with nineteen hours, fifty-nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds left. That’s all she had left with Lena. From five years down to less than twenty hours. Kara felt her heart break as her eyes filled with tears. It was all her fault, and she tried to slow her breathing as she sniffled, running a hand through her hair as she blinked back tears.

 

            She didn’t sleep for the rest of the morning, alternating between watching Lena obliviously sleep, and staring out of the window, hating herself for ruining what they could’ve had. Slowly, the sun began to rise, painting the sky a dozen shades of orange, and by the time it had risen over the tree line, Lena was stirring in the bed. She climbed out of bed, padding barefoot over to Kara, and tickled her from behind, laughing as Kara turned to give her a small smile. Brushing the blonde hair out of her face, Lena stood up on her tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on Kara’s lips.

 

            At the more subdued reaction than usual, Lena frowned slightly, her eyebrows furrowing in concern, “are you okay?”

 

            “Yeah, I’m fine,” Kara quietly assured her.

 

            “Okay,” Lena said, before turning around and dancing over to the steps, “let’s have pancakes for breakfast!”

 

            Trying to keep up her usual level of enthusiasm and optimism, Kara forced smiles for the rest of the morning, eating her pancakes and showering with Lena like usual. Then they decided to go for a jog along the lake, and Kara stood back and watched Lena skip rocks on the top of the water when they took a break. She couldn’t help but want to cry, thinking about how she was about to lose this. Watching as Lena picked up another rock, skipping it across the lake four times before it sank, leaving ripples in its wake, Kara felt her heart sink with it.

 

            “Have your ever had more than four or less than four?” Lena asked, watching the ripples fan out from the four points where the pebble had touched the smooth surface of the water. Kara was too busy checking the time they had left, which was dwindling down, second by second, and shoved the tablet back into her pocket as Lena turned around to stare at her. “What’re you thinking about?”

 

            “Nothing,” Kara told her, walking over to her and reaching down for a pebble. Skipping it over the lake, they both watched it bounce three times and sink on the fourth, and Lena wrapped her arms around Kara, leaning her head on her shoulder.

 

            After that, they went to the Fortress, taking a look around the mall, and Kara was uncharacteristically quiet the entire time. A few steps head of her on the escalator, Lena rode ahead of her, while Kara stared at the way her dark hair brushed the side of her pale neck. Lena turned around to glance up at her, smiling warmly, and Kara barely managed the slight curl of her lips, leaving Lena to quietly exhale in frustration as she turned back around. Reaching the bottom of the escalator, Lena looked at Kara again, before walking over to the wall and turning around to face Kara who dutifully followed after her.

 

            “Okay, seriously, Kara, what’s wrong?” she asked, looking slightly pissed off.

 

            Kara stopped in front of her, looking away – she couldn’t meet her eyes – and took a deep breath, knowing that she had to come clean about what she’d done. Lena deserved to know, and it had been weighing on Kara’s conscience all day. Looking down at Lena’s shoes, Kara let out a slow breath, “I looked.”

 

            “Looked at what?” Lena asked. Peeking up, Kara gave her an apologetic look, and Lena tilted her head to the side as a look of disappointment crossed her face, “we promised we _wouldn’t_ – we even shook on it.”

 

            Gritting her teeth, Kara blinked back tears as she looked anywhere but into Lena’s eyes, “don’t you want to know what it said?”

 

            “No!” Lena exclaimed, “that was the _point.”_

 

            “Well it’s almost done anyway,” Kara said, letting out a humourless laugh.

 

            That seemed to dampen Lena’s anger slightly, and she took a step towards Kara, a look of fear welling up in her green eyes, “how almost done?”

 

            Looking down as she fiddled with her hands, Kara swallowed the lump in her throat, “we’ve got like an hour.”

 

            It sounded like the air had been forced out of Lena’s lungs, almost as if she’d been punched in the stomach, and she felt her eyes prickle slightly, “wha- why didn’t you tell me this before?”

 

            A flicker of pain crossed Kara’s face as she quietly murmured, “I didn’t want to spoil today.”

 

            Lena let out a harsh laugh, her eyes glistening slightly as she looked at Kara, “what and this _hasn’t_ spoilt it?”

 

            “It was supposed to be five years,” Kara blurted out, finally looking into Lena’s eyes, watching as she blinked in confusion, “five years, and now …” Exhaling sharply, she closed her eyes, before she opened them again, meeting Lena’s green ones, filled with accusation. “I looked at it and something happened … it started going down. I don’t know what-“

 

            “So _you_ broke it?” Lena shouted, pointing a finger at Kara as her anger flared back up.

 

            “No, no, no,” Kara stammered, giving Lena a pleading look as she begged her to understand, “I mean, I don’t … I don’t know.”

 

            “Why did you have to look at it?” Lena exclaimed, her eyes welling up with tears as she gave Kara a wounded look.

 

            Kara reached out for her, but Lena took a step out of her reach, leaving Kara’s hand to fall uselessly by her side. “I was thinking that we could overcome it-“

 

 _“Why_ did you have to _look at it?”_

 

            “Because I-“ she broke off, the words getting stuck on the tip of her tongue, but this was her only chance to tell Lena, and so she forced them out anyway, “I like you, like, _really_ , I like you.”

 

            “For fuck’s sake, Kara. Was that not enough?” Lena snapped.

 

            “That’s not the point,” Kara said, feeling herself panic as she scrambled to explain herself, “I looked, but that’s not the issue here.”

 

            Letting out another harsh laugh, Lena arched an eyebrow as she smirked slightly, “are you sure about that?”

 

            Then the façade of aloofness seemed to dissipate, and Lena’s face softened into one of hurt and sadness as she stared at Kara, who gave her a confused look, “you’re more upset about that than how short our time is.”

 

            “Yes! Because we had _agreed_ ,” Lena exclaimed, her anger rising back up, “we made a deal! We shook on it!” She grabbed a fistful of Kara’s windbreaker as she snapped, a tear falling down one cheek as her breathing hitched. This was hurting her just as much as it was hurting Kara.

 

            “Listen. Listen. Listen,” Kara chanted, cupping Lena’s face in her hands and wiping away the tear with a thumb, “what if we just ignore it?”

 

            “We _can’t_ ,” Lena cried, her voice cracking slightly.

 

            Nodding earnestly, Kara gave her a wavering smile, trying to be optimistic about it as she cupped Lena’s face in her hands, “we can, we’ll just- we’ll fuck the system. We’ll just- we’ll jump out. Over the wall. We’ll get out of here.”

 

            “There’s nothing out there,” Lena reasoned with her.

 

            “How do you know?” Kara asked, raising her eyebrows, “how do you know?” Behind her a security guard stepped off the escalator, and the sound of his taser crackling reaching their ears, but Kara didn’t look away from Lena, not even when she pulled her head out from between Kara’s hands. “Lena-“

 

            “You’ve ruined this,” Lena quietly told her, sounding broken as she poked Kara in the chest, _“you_ did.”

 

            “Lena-“

 

            Lena stalked off, flipping Kara off as she walked away, with a few bitter words over her shoulder, “ _don’t_ follow me.”

 

            Kara took a few steps after her, aware of all of the other matched couples watching their argument, but not caring about what they thought. “Lena, I’m sorry.”

 

            They didn’t even get to say goodbye to each other when the timer hit zero – Lena wasn’t at the house – and Kara was left to go back to an empty apartment while she waited for her next match, knowing that she didn’t _want_ another match. The first night, she sat at the end of her bed, crying as she cupped her tablet in her hands.

 

_“Everything happens for a reason.”_

 

            “What reason?” Kara sobbed, furiously wiping at her face.

 

_“The System will be assessing your reaction to the painful premature termination of a treasured relationship, and will adjust and improve its profile of your eventual chosen one accordingly.”_

            Taking deep breaths to try and strop crying, Kara scoffed, “you’re a great comfort.”

 

_“Thank you.”_

 

            She just sobbed harder, wiping her face on the sleeve of her sweater, “I swear to god, I just want to go and jump over the wall.”

 

_“That would contravene the rules of the System.”_

 

            “Fuck the System,” Kara snapped, clutching the small disk in one fist as she felt her anger grow.

 

_“Failure to comply with the System may result in banishment.”_

            “I know!” Kara shouted at the inanimate object, “can I just be angry?” Feeling broken and tired, she just sat there at the end of the bed, crying until she was too drained to even stay conscious any longer. The empty space beside her was even more heartbreaking.

 

\---

 

            It wasn’t any easier for Lena, and she found herself wearing one of Kara’s old sweaters again and again, not matter who the System paired her with next. It was like no matter who she was living with, in what house, a part of her was missing. No one ever squeezed her hand back, or made her laugh the way Kara made her laugh. She jogged alone, and swam alone, skipped pebbles four times on the surface of the lake alone, feeling the endless drag of days as each one brought a new match. More short flings. No one could even hold a candle to Kara’s flame.

 

            Kara felt the same about Lena, and no matter who she was with, it was never the same. She tried to invest herself in her other relationships, but it hurt too much to even think about anyone other than Lena. Even when she slept with them, she pictured Lena instead, because she knew that there was no one else who could even begin to compare to her. It was like she had known from the very beginning that it was Lena – her match _had_ to be Lena – and she’d messed it all up for them both.

 

            And then they both found their ultimate matches.

 

            Lena was at the pool, cutting through the water with an easy breaststroke as rippled radiated out from her. It wasn’t until she climbed out and wrapped a towel around herself that her tablet chimed, and the robotic voice of Cat spoke. _“Congratulations, Lena. Your ultimate match has been identified. Your pairing day is tomorrow.”_

            Freezing, Lena held the tablet cupped in her hand while water dripped off her skin. Her mouth felt dry as she asked the first question on the tip of her tongue, “ultimate as in _the one_.”

 

_“That is correct.”_

            “And we meet tomorrow?” Lena asked.

 

_“That is correct. Tomorrow you’ll be coupled with your ultimate match, and together you will leave this place forever.”_

            Slowly exhaling, Lena walked towards the exit of the pool. “Okay. Can you tell me anything about them?” she asked, and there was one burning question that she had to ask, “do I- do I know them already?”

 

 _“Negative.”_ It wasn’t Kara. _“There is one more thing. Prior to pairing day, you have been allocated a short farewell period with an individual of your choosing.”_

            Stopping, Lena wiped some water off her face, feeling her heart speed up, “like, I get to say goodbye to someone?”

 

_“That is correct. Data shows this can help provide psychological clos-“_

            “Kara,” Lena blurted out, cutting off the device, “I choose Kara.”

 

_“Your choice has been registered.”_

 

            Letting out a shaky breath, Lena hesitated slightly, “wait, where are we meeting?”

 

_“Usual booth, seven thirty pm.”_

            Smiling slightly, Lena nodded to herself, and turned towards the pool. Taking a step towards the edge, she held the circular disk in her hand, like a pebble, and without pause, skipped it across the surface of the pool, watching as it bounced three times and sank on the fourth.

 

            She immediately went home and changed into something casual, rushing to get to the Fortress. Kara was already waiting for her in their booth when she arrived, and Lena picked up her pace as she rushed over to her, watching as Kara quickly climbed to her feet. Lena didn’t stop until she was in Kara’s arms, and pressing a frantic kiss on her lips, feeling Kara’s hands wrap around her waist and pull her flush against her body. Neither of them cared that they were in the middle of a busy restaurant, or that they weren’t matched with each other – it felt _right._ They desperately kissed for a few moments, until Kara broke away.

 

            “Wait, wait, how long do we have?” she breathlessly asked, guiding them both down into the booth, where she reached for her tablet. Illuminating the screen, it showed that they had less than a minute and a half, and Kara slammed her hand down on the table, while the the beeping of the countdown continued. Leaning in close to Lena, she cupped one of her cheeks, looking at her with a frantic look in her eyes. “The System’s set my pairing day for tomorrow.”

 

            “Mine too,” Lena quickly told her.

 

            “Well I don’t _want_ whoever the System says is the one, okay? I want _you_ ,” Kara told her, gently running a thumb over Lena’s cheekbone.

 

            “I want _you_ ,” Lena breathlessly agreed.

 

_“Failure to comply with the System may result in banishment.”_

            Lena grit her teeth as her eyes darted down to the tablet, “you can fuck off and all.” Eyes darting back up to meet Kara’s blue ones, she shifted closer to her, “can you remember where you were before you came here?” Kara was silent as she tried to scramble for any memory of her life before being in the compound. “You can’t can you?”

 

            “No,” Kara slowly said, frowning in confusion, “why can’t I remember anything?”

 

            “Me neither,” Lena told her, “it’s a test. Do you remember the first night that we were together? How did you feel?”

 

            “I felt safe, happy, comfortable,” Kara immediately replied. She’d felt all of those things and more, the first night and since then with Lena. “It felt _right_. It felt like something had … locked into place. Like we’d met before.”

 

            Lena’s face split into a hesitant smile as she looked at Kara with wild eyes, “like it happened before, and it’ll happen again. Like it’s happened a thousand times, over and over again. Do you know what I mean?”

 

            Kara looked at her in awe, struck by how relatable Lena’s words were. She did know. She knew that so well that it hurt to think of being with anyone else. “Yeah. Yeah, I do,” Kara murmured.

 

            “This world’s been _toying_ with us,” Lena said, sounding crazy, but not caring about it, “ever since we’ve met. It’s been trying to keep us apart, I swear it has, like it’s some sort of test. We have to rebel against it – we have to escape. That’s how we pass the test, I’m sure of it. We’ve got to fuck the System.”

 

            They both breathlessly laughed, and Lena reached out to cup Kara’s face in her hands, while Kara smiled brightly at her. “We’ve just got to fuck the whole thing, and go. Right over the wall. We have to get out of here, no matter what’s out _there_.”

 

            “Yeah,” Lena breathed, “so let’s go. Right now.”

 

            Kara gave her the most breathtaking smile Lena could ever remember seeing, and her blue eyes sparkled playfully, “then let’s go.”

 

            Giving her a relieved smile, Lena climbed to her feet, as the chiming of the device fell silent. Their time was up. Everything seemed to freeze – _everyone_ – except the security guard who moved towards them, but Kara just climbed out of the booth and entwined her fingers with Lena’s, both of them moving towards the exit. As the bouncer pulled out his taser, holding it out towards Lena as it crackled, she smiled, taking a step forward and reaching out to touch it. Nothing happened – the taser just stopped working – and as she pushed it down, the security guard froze too. Grabbing onto Kara’s hand again, Lena pulled them along, rushing through the restaurant as they both stared at the frozen figures. It wasn’t just inside the restaurant, it was all through the Fortress, and outside, and they jogged along the path, breathing heavily as they made straight for the giant wall that had been keeping them inside all this time. Iron rungs were set in the side of it, and they both looked at each other.

 

            “Come on,” Kara said, giving her a reassuring smile, before she stepped onto the bottom rung. Both of them hauled themselves up, hand over hand, climbing higher and higher. The higher they got, the more that something was wrong become evident. Below them, patches of the landscape shimmered, and then pixels began receding, rippling outwards and leaving behind empty patches of the framework as the blackness engulfed everything.

 

            The rungs disappeared beneath their hands and feet as they reached for the next one.

 

            In complete blackness, they stood side by side, hand in hand, looking around as they stood on a virtual plaza. Above them, a circle floated, with the number nine hundred and ninety-eight, and there were couples everywhere else – hundreds of them - with circles with their own number in it floating above their heads. Each one of them was a copy of Kara and Lena, and they watched as they all started turning into bluish-green spheres, drifting upwards where a large number showed the amount of completed simulations. As the bluish-green orbs drifted upwards, the number of simulations completed grew larger, until Kara and Lena turned to look at each other, before they transformed into another orb, floating upwards, until they reached the number and completed the circle of orbs ringing it, where it reached a thousand completed simulations. Nine hundred and ninety-eight of those simulations had logged a rebellion.

 

\---

 

            Staring down at her phone, Kara looked down at the green circle framing the photo of the dark haired woman, who was possibly the most beautiful woman that Kara had ever seen, and beneath her photo it said they were a ninety-nine point eight percent match. She hadn’t put much faith in the dating app that Alex had told her to download, but as she glanced down at the photo, picking up her bottle of beer and taking a sip, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of hope. Perhaps this person _was_ the right match for her.

 

            Loud music was playing in the bar, and Lena looked down at the near-perfect match on her phone screen, taking in the blonde hair and kind eyes hidden behind glasses, and she looked around. There. She was sitting at the bar, a beer in hand, bobbing her head slightly as she looked around the room. As her eyes landed on Lena, a slow smile spread across her face, and Lena felt her face mirror the other woman’s. Kara – the dating app had said her name was Kara. They looked at each other for a moment, and Lena arched an eyebrow suggestively as they both laughed from across the room. How absurd it was to find a perfect match through a dating app, yet here they both were, laughing like idiots from across a packed room, as the music blasted overhead. Smiling, Lena slipped her phone into her bag and pushed her way towards the blonde woman waiting for her at the bar and approached her.

 

            Holding a hand out, Lena gave her a small smile, “Kara.”

 

            Shaking the hand, and giving it a gentle squeeze, Kara smiled back at her, “Lena.”


End file.
